Out of the box: A psychedelic model to study the creative mind

Creativity involves both flexible divergent thinking and rigid convergent thinking. Psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin can enhance creativity and influence mood, empathy, and openness to experience. Flexible thinking is impaired in anxiety disorders and depression, and preliminary evidence suggests psychedelics may help treat these conditions. The neurobiological mechanisms by which psychedelics enhance flexible thinking remain unknown. A model is proposed that integrates neuronal networks, neurotransmitters, and personal factors, which can be tested through placebo-controlled pharmaco-imaging studies in healthy volunteers.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Our creativity is challenged daily when facing new situations asking for novel solutions. Creativity, a multicomponent construct includes flexible divergent and rigid convergent thinking. Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin can enhance creativity and affect state of mind (mood, empathy, openness). Of note, flexible thinking is disturbed in psychopathological conditions like anxiety disorders and depression and preliminary findings have shown psychedelics to be efficacious in the treatment of those conditions. The question how psychedelics induce this state of enhanced flexible thinking remains to be answered and investigating the neurobiology underlying this phenomenon will not only help in understanding why psychedelics are of use in the therapeutic setting but also in other settings where flexible thinking is challenged. A model including neuronal networks, neurotransmitters and personal factors playing a role in this process will be proposed which can be put to the test by means of placebo-controlled pharmaco-imaging studies in healthy volunteers.